Happy Anniversary!

Well, I can't believe it's been a full year since our arrival here in Grenada! Where has the time gone? I suppose I can conclude that it doesn't matter WHERE you live for time to pass by quickly! So for those of you who think we have gone to the "end of the earth" to just sit in our cushy hammock to watch the fruit grow... think again! (Actually, I don't think I've been in that hammock since Easter!) The other morning I noticed this huge bug hanging above me as I walked out to the carport!

Speaking of fruit... it's the time of year for mangoes! Although I hear they're coming in a little late this year, we've just begun getting some good ripe ones off our tree. Unfortunately, it appears that the avocado trees will not be bearing any fruit this year! Although we had wheelbarrows full of them last year, for some reason there's not one single avocado on either of our two trees this year! We have a number of banana trees with bunches on them, but they seem to take quite awhile to ripen. Scott's begun to harvest guava, and last week someone gave us a passion fruit vine that we planted behind the house. So we'll be looking forward to adding passion fruit to our own special blend of juice!

Nearly 5 years after Hurricane Ivan ripped off many of the historic church roofs, we happened to notice they've begun replacing the roof on the catholic church in St. George's. There currently are 3 very visible churches in the town that still have not been repaired since the storm. This will be a welcome addition to the landscape when it's completed!

The past few weeks have been extremely busy for us... mainly because I was working on a photography job for a local event. I photographed 80+ dancers and 4 groups for my neighbor's dance studio. The images were used on the program for their big end of year show. At the same time, we had Windjammer friends visiting from Boston... and another couple of friends were preparing to leave Grenada for good. I also photographed their teenage son on the beach before they left. (He'll be finishing his final year of school back in Montana.)

While I've been doing all this running around, Scott's continuing to work on his shutter project. He may be at a roadblock at the moment because he doesn't have all the hinges necessary to mount them... he bought everything the store had and is now waiting for them to get another shipment. (This may take awhile!)

Last week I took the local bus to town, to meet a friend for lunch. (My driver's license had expired the day before and Scott needed the car later in the day.) Grenada actually has a pretty good public transit system, which makes it very easy to get around. Their "buses" are actually vans that can hold up to 16 passengers... plus the driver. (No seatbelts required, so they can always squeeze in a few more!) It's a 5-min walk for me to catch the bus at the St. Paul's police station, where the buses pass by frequently... no schedule, really. On this day, I hadn't even made it to the top of the hill (where the bus stops)... They must have seen me heading there, so the bus was backing down the hill to pick me up! This ride would take me into St. George's, to a fairly large bus terminal. I then took a different bus to Grand Anse, where I met my friend. The cost is $2.50 EC per ride (less than $1 US), and I never had to wait! So it really didn't take me much longer to go there by bus than it would have if I had driven myself. They don't run on Sundays or holidays, so we often given people a lift if we see them walking along the main roads when we're out & about. (Kinda reminds you of the days when you could actually hitchhike safely back in the states!)

The last time I wrote, I talked about all the dogs in the neighborhood. The other day I was in the kitchen & heard the water running in the slop sink out in the carport. When I looked out the window I was shocked at what I saw! ... There was Scott, lathering up & hosing down the neighbor's fluffy dog in the sink! (Of course, I had to get a picture!) The dog is now spending most of her time with him these days... only going home to get fed! She's still not allowed to be up on our veranda, but I've noticed she's sleeping at the top of the driveway at night. She's a little too yappy for me... as she protects her "new" second home!

For those of you interested, I finally got the cortisone shot in my wrist & it's helped a great deal! (Wasn't nearly as painful as I anticipated!) I've got a new pair of pinking shears, so I'm ready to get back to sewing again! I'm also looking forward to getting back to some basic exercising (like pushups)... something I haven't been able to do for a few years because of a shoulder injury, then this wrist problem.

Still no plans to head home for a visit... but I'm working on that!